YOUNG MINDS BLOG

To celebrate the release of Dominique Valente’s debut children’s book, Starfell: Willow Moss and the Lost Day, we asked the author to open up and let readers in on 10 things they should all know about her!

The only chance to save Mr Mash (and possibly the world) is for Georgie to travel to the future to find a cure. The hectic last chapters are a race against time (and some terrifying giant scorpions) that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Welford gets better with each book.

More Happy That Not is Aaron’s story, a sixteen-year-old boy from the Bronx who’s trying to remember what happiness feels like after a couple of months where life has proven to be a bit too tough to cope with.

To me, nothing says summertime like a new Morgan Matson novel. The YA author has become synonymous with contemporary romances set during the steamy months — from 2010's Amy and Roger's Epic Detourto 2016's The Unexpected Everything, Matsonhas created compelling characters, page-turning plots...

Cata’s first nightmare in the book comes straight from my 16-year-old brain. I lived in the crazy run-down antebellum mansion she lived in. And my father was the same type of monster hers was. As her story progressed, I let myself pepper it with actual words and events from my childhood.

When we last saw Vika, Nikolai and Pasha the drama was at an all-time high and everyone’s futures were so uncertain and there was just SO MUCH going down in Imperial Russia that we were not ready for it to end.

In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word. A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other – but they can never fall in love.

This was a short, sweet all about town spirit and fighting for what you believe in..and I loved that. The way everyone rallied around to save the bookshop was so heartwarming and brought a big smile to face.

The story of a “perfectly ordinary cat with a not-so-ordinary tail” was inspired by Kerr’s observations of her cat, the ninth in an inspirational line. “She is a ridiculous-looking white cat with a tabby tail that looks as though it belonged to somebody else,” she said.

13 Reasons Why-esque, the book is filled with highschoolers dealing with some heavy stuff including rape, drugs and depression. An intriguing concept, though it takes about 150 pages to get to the hook. Several suspects are introduced but cleared too quickly to build suspense, leaving an obvious answer.

Piggy Handsome is 19th in a line of illustrious guinea pigs, each “an utter sensation”. Despite reaching the age of three (getting on, in guinea pig years), our hero has yet to achieve the fame he yearns for.